City branding with stakeholders’ participation

The article is devoted to city branding. The work presents an outline of the concept and a model of city branding, as well as identifies the brand determinants, relevant for the design and examination of the brand. In the concept and the model presented, the impact of stakeholders on city branding and their role in the image building have been highlighted. The subject of the survey, carried out on a sample of the residents of the city of Rzeszów and the neighboring municipalities, concerned the city’s image. Multi-factor analysis was used to analyze the data. The obtained study results allowed for identification of four factors associated with the intangible and the tangible features of the city. The article fills up the gap in the research on the image of Polish cities. It contributes to the understanding of the way, in which city brands are assessed by their stakeholders, and constitutes a guide to the local government practice regarding the orientation of city positioning.